SANTA CRUZ >> As storm clouds threatened overhead, State Park Ranger Alex Tabone leached ground acorn through sand and California Native Plant Collection curator Rick Flores labored over a bowl of Manzanita berry cider.
From a distance, Sunday’s Native Foods Workshop at the Santa Cruz Museum of Natural History looked like a poorly timed picnic. Closer inspection, however, revealed a fascinating exploration into the diet of Central California Indians.
The menu? Acorn soup, grass seed porridge, soaproot bulb salad and Manzanita cider — all of which can be easily found in Santa Cruz County.
“We tend to eat these items alone during demonstrations, but it’s important to remember that traditionally they would all be mixed together with berries and animal fats and served with wild onions and Indian potatoes,” said Flores, who is also a Ph.D. student in the Environmental Studies Department at UC Santa Cruz and an associate of the Amah Mutsun Land Trust.
Flores points this out because, quite frankly, “bland and nutty” is a generous description of acorn soup.
“There’s not a ton of flavor,” said Tabone. “But it’s hearty and rich.”
And very work intensive. Acorns must be shelled, pounded into flour with a stone mortar and pestle, sifted and pounded further, then leached through sand to get rid of the bitter tannins.
Every fall, each family would need to gather and process roughly 1,000 pounds of acorn for the year. Hence, the deep mortars bowls that can be found worn into bedrock granite around the Central Coast.
The grass seed tastes like roasted popcorn, according to Tabone. It was traditionally gathered in finely woven baskets.
“These baskets are deceptively sophisticated,” said Flores. “There is a lot of preparation and knowledge involved — you not only have to know what materials to gather and use, but precisely how to use those materials.”
A traditional Ohlone basket might use deergrass stuffing and white root stitching. Designs would be created using the bark of native hazelnut or braken fern rhizomes, according to Flores.
Soaproot is known as the “plant of a million uses,” according to Tabone. Its bulb can be cooked, boiled and roasted. It can also be used to catch fish, make glue and build brushes. On Sunday, workshop participants sampled the plant’s green tops.
Sunday’s workshop was the work of new education manager Felicia Van Stolk, who began rewriting the museum’s education program when she took over the position last year to incorporate more Ohlone culture.
While Tabone’s interest in native foods is about connecting with traditional cultures, he said it’s also about looking to the future.
“The way we get, cook and eat food is a reflection of us as a people,” said Tabone. “I think there’s a lot we can learn from the past.”
For more information about Santa Cruz Museum of Natural History programs, visit santacruzmuseum.org.
